batavia

Dozens of bright yellow school buses have been gleaming in the sun (when there is sun) at the corner of Dodgeson Road and Route 98 in Alexander just about all summer long.

The name on the sides of the buses -- Student Transportation of America -- is a new name to Genesee County.

STA is now in town after winning the main transportation contract with the Batavia City School District, which entered into a joint agreement with the Attica School District.

The company purchased a former rigging shop location at 3784 Dodgeson Road in an auction through Bontrager's earlier in the summer.

The state encourages school districts to review and re-bid bus transportation contracts every 10 years, explained Batavia Superintendent Chris Dailey. 

The district experienced many difficulties with the previous contract, Dailey said. 

"The Board of Education decided to bid and increase the accountability and expectations for the bus contractors while also increasing features available to the district with our bus contractors, such as more cameras and GPS," Dailey said. "We bid for 2013-14 but the bid was rejected because of cost and lack of competition."

For 2014-015, the district decided to seek another district for a cooperative bid and reached an agreement with Attica and STA won the bid for regular school transportation, field trips and sports trips.

Attica Bus Company will remain the contractor for transportation of special education students.

BCSD's transportation costs per year is more than $1 million, plus another $731,690 for special education transportation.

"In our contract, the contractor is responsible for all aspects of providing transportation: purchasing and maintaining the fleet, building, staffing, routing of the students, directly handling parent calls," Dailey said.

Two weeks ago, STA announced the release of a mobile device and desktop app that will allow parents to track the location of school buses in the fleet.

"A child’s bus is displayed on a detailed map showing its current location in relation to the child’s stop, so parents can monitor the bus along its route," the company said in a press release.

The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

“Registering for the SafeStop app is easy,” the company said. “Parents in select schools simply log on to www.schoolwheels.com from any computer or mobile device to register for the app. They then can link to the Apple App Store or Google Play to download on a mobile device.”

So far, one potential bidder for the Genesee County Nursing Home has submitted a letter stating an intent to make an offer on the 260-bed facility.

Interested buyers have until Sept. 23 to submit a letter of intent and until Oct. 6 to submit proposals.

So far, some 25 to 30 potential buyers have expressed interest in the nursing home, County Manager Jay Gsell said, but there's still just the one written intent to submit a bid.

The nursing home has been dragging down county finances for years, and financial disclosures included in the RFP package show the facility losing $2.9 million in 2011, $3.7 in 2012 and $4.3 million in 2013.

A non-government agency (whether a not-for-profit group or for-profit company) will have greater flexibility in generating revenue than the highly regulated government-owned facility, have greater leeway in reducing expenses, and won't be facing a squeeze on funding from the State of New York, according to county officials.

The county Legislature decided to sell the home to escape the ongoing financial drain on the budget.

The RFP states the facility will be sold to the most qualified, responsible bidder who meets a range of criteria. The highest bid won't necessarily win the purchase contract.

The current assessed value of the nursing home, on Bank Street, is $10.9 million.

Of course, currently no taxes are collected on the government-owned property.

Serious bidders will be invited to pre-proposal site visits Sept. 24, 25, 26 and 29.

Bids must include a $100,000 refundable deposit and provide financial statements and a letter of credit indicating not only the ability to close on the final purchase price, but to operate the facility at the current level or improved level of services after the purchase is completed.

The purchaser will be prohibited from involuntarily transferring or evicting any current resident of the nursing home.

Bidders must agree that the RFP process is subjective and the Legislature has the final say on whether to accept or reject any and all bids, and the county reserves to right to enter into negotiations with a bidder to modify a proposal.

The company must provide a company history, executive bios, information and qualifications on employees, experience with similar facilities, and plan for a smooth transfer of ownership.

There will be no public bid opening and bids won't become public until after a proposal is accepted by the Legislature. It's up to the company to declare any portion of the proposal that would be exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law.

The sale of the nursing home has generated a little public opposition. There is a "Save the Genesee County Nursing home in Batavia NY" group on Facebook with 166 members currently.

The complete RFP package is available on the county's Web site.

Thomas A. Gorrow III, 23, of 59 Mill St., rear apt., Le Roy, was arrested based on a complaint from last evening (9/1/2014) that he allegedly unlawfully entered a neighbor’s apartment and while inside damaged both a stove and a window. Gorrow was initially taken into custody by the Le Roy Police Department under section 9.41 of the Mental Hygiene Law and transported by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation, but allegedly left the hospital without the medical staff’s knowledge and/or permission. Gorrow was located at work and arrested by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with one count each of burglary, 2nd, a Class C felony, and criminal mischief, 3rd, a Class E felony. Gorrow was arraigned before the Hon. D. Sehm of the Le Roy Town Court and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.

Roberto Varona-Gonzalez, 57, of Clifford Avenue, Rochester, is charged with evading or defeating cigarette tax. It is alleged that he possessed 31 cartons of cigarettes or 6,200 cigarettes following a traffic stop on Bank Street Road in the Town of Byron. He was issued an appearance ticket and is to appear in Byron Town Court at 5 p.m. on Sept. 22.

Thomas A. Webb, 54, of Gifford Street, Syracuse, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, and grand larceny, 4th. He was arrested on the charges after allegedly cashing a forged check at a bank. The investigation was  conducted in coordination with the Le Roy Police Department. Webb was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put then put into Genesee County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. He is set to appear back in court at 11 a.m. on Sept. 11.

Joshua Lee Baltz, 38, of West Main Street, Batavia, is accused of first-degree criminal contempt. He was arrested for allegedly making phone calls from the county jail on Aug. 30 to a protected person, in violation of a stay-away order of protection.

The back porch of the residence at 249 Ross St. is reportedly on fire. The blaze was called in to dispatch by a neighbor who is unsure if the house is occupied. City fire just arrived and there's no smoke showing.

UPDATE 1:49 p.m.: Command reports smoke is showing from the rear of the wood frame structure.

UPDATE 1:51 p.m.: Command says the fire is in a wall and is "out of control."

UPDATE 1:52 p.m.: Dispatch has made contact with the homeowner who returning home now.

UPDATE 2:09 p.m.: Fire is out. Firefighters are picking up and preparing to leave the scene.

UPDATE (by Howard): An alert neighbor and quick response by City Fire is probably what saved this house. Damage to the back porch, railing, eaves and smoke damage along the back of the house, showing it was minutes, if not seconds, from spreading extensively before it was put out.

A car vs. bicycle accident with injuries is reported at Bank Street and Washington Avenue. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: The assignment is back in service.

These are the latest indictments issued by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

James T. Saddler III is indicted on a charge of second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony. It is alleged that on Nov. 21 in the City of Batavia, with intent to cause physical injury to another person, he caused such injury by means of a dangerous instrument -- scalding water.

Ronnie R. Simpson is indicted on a charge of aggravated driving while ability impaired by drugs, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on March 29 in the Town of Byron Simpson drove a 2001 Chevrolet on Route 262 while his ability to do so was impaired by drugs and while a child age 15 or less was a passenger.

Kassandra R. Funk is indicted on a change of drving while intoxicated, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on May 6 in the Town of Bergen Funk drove a 2006 Pontiac on North Bergen Road while in an intoxicated condition. In count two, she is accused of aggravated drving while intoxicated, per se, as a Class E felony, for allegedly having a BAC of .18 or more at the time.

Press release:

August 29, 2014, Batavia, NY.  On August 28th the City of Batavia Police Department joined by the Genesee County Drug Task Force (The Genesee Drug Task Force is comprised of personnel from Batavia PD, Le Roy PD and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office), Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and Genesee County Probation participated in the fourth neighborhood enforcement detail this summer. The purpose of these details is to systematically approach known problem areas within the City and target criminal activity.

In total 10 law enforcement personnel from four different agencies were partnered in a focused enforcement details in seven separate locations. NET patrols included State Street, Washington Avenue, Jackson Street, Liberty Street, Swan Street and Sumner Avenue, Central Avenue, Pringle Avenue, Harvester Avenue and Clifton Avenue. The following are results of this year’s fourth detail:

• 52 data runs
• 12 vehicle/traffic stops
• 2 Traffic tickets issued
• 4 Penal Law Arrests
   -- Brasky, Alex P., age 23, unlawful possession of marijuana
   -- Blake, Ian J., age 27, unlawful possession of marijuana
   -- Scheuerlein, Jacob M., age 18, unlawful possession of marijuana
   -- McWethy, Randy S., age 44, criminal possession of hypodermic instrument
• 16 probation checks
• 1 probation violation

Neighborhood Enforcement Team (NET) details were outlined in the City’s Strategic Plan as part of the City’s Neighborhood Revitalization efforts. They include dedicated patrols for targeted enforcement with the goal of intercepting and interrupting the flow of illegal drugs, weapons and other contraband as well as locating and arresting wanted persons. All agencies involved expect to continue joint law enforcement efforts in the future. These details are not advertised prior to taking place and locations are selected based on criminal data, the presence of nuisance and illegal behavior and ongoing investigations. 

If you see criminal activity or know about a crime that has occurred please contact the Batavia Police Department at (585) 345-6350 or the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.

Police are asking the public to help identify a motorcyclist involved in a hit-and-run accident at about 5 p.m. Aug. 19 on East Main Street in front of Key Bank in Batavia.

The motorcycle hit a bicyclist.

The bicyclist was not seriously injured in the accident.

The motorcycle operator did stop and check on the bicyclist's condition, but then left the scene without providing name, address, license information and plate number.

The operator is described as a white male in his early 40s with a "salt and pepper" beard.

The motorcycle is described as a "cruiser (meaning not a street bike)." It was red and may have sustained damage on the right side of the handlebar and possibly to the front master cylinder.

Anyone with information is asked to call Officer James DeFreze at (585) 345-6350.

Jeremy Dean Lyons, 29, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd. Lyons was allegedly found in possession of more than $3,000 worth of copper wiring that was stolen from several buses parked at a business in Oakfield. Lyons was jailed on $50,000 bail.

William H. Kelly III, 44, Robert Kelly, 43, and Michael Correia, 58, all of Syracuse, are charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd. The three men were arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for allegedly stealing more than $3,000 worth of brass fittings, electrical wire, tools, and plumbing and construction materials from a location in Batavia. They were arrested following a traffic stop in Huron and held without bail. (Source: 13WHAM).

Roger James Farney III, 31, of Clayton Street, Buffalo, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Farney was located by law enforcement at this former residence on Pearl Street Road, Batavia, allegedly in violation of an order of protection out of Family Court. 

Four Canadians -- Sarah C. Glassford, 22, of Acton, Ontario, David L. Jones, 22, of Walkerton, Ontario, Hayley M. Halls, 23, of Acton, Ontario, and Nicole P. Spurrell, 22, of Acton, Ontario -- are all charged with trespass. They were arrested by State Police in connection with a reported trespass at a location in Darien at 11:45 p.m. Aug. 16. No further details released.

A 16-year-old Batavia resident is charged with criminal mischief. She was arrested by State Police in the Town of Barre in connection with an incident reported at 6:55 p.m. on Monday. No further details released.

A BBQ grill out of control is reported at 106 North St. in the city. It's close to a garage. City fire is responding.

UPDATE 9:40 p.m.: Command reports the fire is within city code. The city assignment is back in service.

The Independent Living Center hosted its first Taste of Independence festival in Jackson Square last night.

Several local restaurants and bakeries served food at the fundraiser, which included a basket raffle.

Participating were: D&R Depot, Rack Shack, Terry Hills, T.F. Browns, Swy's Catering, Big Pauly's, Sweet Ecstasy Bakery, Bistro & Banquets, Coffee Culture Cafe & Eatery, and Tops Friendly Markets. Mueller Quaker also provided yogurt, Subway provided cookies and Wendy's provided beverages.

Above, Rae Frank and Greg Bruggman drew tickets for the raffle.

Photos by Amanda Earl.

Jeremy Franklin and Gillian Cleveland.

Yvette Lucas, Community Events Outreach coordinator.  

Donna Becker of Independent Living enters tickets for the basket raffle.

Don Bouchard.

Free basic school supplies are being distributed this afternoon only, until 6 p.m., at La Mexicana in the Valu Plaza. Owners of the little Mexican market helped organize the giveaway along with The KinderArt Klub of Batavia and Batavia resident Jill Hart, an agent of RealtyUSA.

The store is located at 4125 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

 

Photos by Howard Owens.

A former taco wagon from Los Angeles is now a Southern BBQ truck in WNY.

The transformation was made by Cregg Paul, owner of Center Street Smoke House, who bought the truck from a seller in Fayetteville, NC, and drove the truck to Batavia.

It was exciting to see an authentic taco wagon on Center Street for a couple of weeks, but carne asada wasn't in Paul's plans. He's sticking to what he does best: brisket, ribs and pulled pork.

The truck is available for catered happenings and Paul plans on using it at festivals and other public events.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (R-NY-27) visited Graham Corporation in Batavia to see firsthand the skilled jobs and business that the production of Navy aircraft carriers brings to the region. Graham Corporation builds and supplies main condensers and air ejectors for Navy aircraft carriers.

Graham Corporation is part of a vital defense industrial base consisting of more than 2,000 small, mid-sized, and large businesses from 43 states that provides parts and services for Navy aircraft carriers.

During his tour, Congressman Collins met with the employees at Graham Corporation to discuss the unique skills they contribute to the industrial base that supplies parts to the Navy aircraft carrier program.

“It was an honor meeting the employees at Graham and learning about their vital work constructing components for our Navy’s aircraft carriers,” Congressman Collins said. “Local businesses like Graham are essential to maintaining economic growth and good-paying job opportunities here in Western New York, while ensuring our nation’s national security. It was great to see firsthand how the skilled work happening here in Batavia contributes to our Navy’s strength around the world.”

“Building new carriers every five years and undertaking maintenance on a regular schedule preserves the fleet at its required operational level of 11 carriers and keeps the industrial base sustainable and strong. Today we got the opportunity to talk with Congressman Collins about why it is so critical to our local jobs and businesses and our national security,” said Ken Salphine, manager of Marine & Nuclear Products at Graham Corporation.

Forrest Ansel III, 24, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with assault, 2nd. Ansel is accused of punching a relative several times, causing physical injury. The alleged victim is over 65 and more than 10 years older than Ansel. Ansel was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Paul C. Ferraro, 19, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Ferraro is accused of stealing more than $3,000 over a two-month period while employed at Save-A-Lot. Ferraro was jailed without bail.

Thomas Webb

Thomas A. Webb, 54, of Syracuse, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Webb was arrested after a bank employee called about two people in the bank trying to cash forged checks. Webb was apprehended at the scene, but the other person fled before police arrived. Police recovered the checks and the IDs of both suspects. The investigation indicates at least one other person may be involved. That person appears to have supplied the forged checks to the suspects and similar checks that were cashed at another bank branch in the City of Batavia. Le Roy PD and Batavia PD are working together in an ongoing investigation.

Timothy J. Lewis, 20, of Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Lewis is accused of hitting a family member and a friend while in the parking lot of Oliver's Candies at 3:30 a.m., Wednesday.

Katherine S. Thomas, 41, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. Thomas is accused of intentionally breaking a glass mug on the sidewalk in front of her residence, causing a physically offensive and hazardous condition.

A pedestrian has reportedly been hit by a car in the parking lot of Coffee Culture, off Court Street.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 8:19 a.m.: The patient is being transported to UMMC. Bumps and bruises and right shoulder pain. The car was traveling at low speed.

The Batavia Bulldawgs and the Batavia Blue Devils met in a scrimmage this evening at Van Detta Stadium.

Who won?

Who cares. The Mini-Division (8-9 years old) Bulldawgs were clearly thrilled to be on Woodward Field and get a pre-game pep talk in the Blue Devils' locker room from Batavia Head Coach Brennan Briggs.

Briggs told his team that he heard the Bulldawgs defense hadn't given up a score yet this season, so the Blue Devils offense might have a tough time of it.

In the first series, the Bulldawgs stopped running back Dominick Mogavero behind the line of scrimmage and sacked QB Greg Mruczek.

On the first play, the Blue Devils linemen didn't block. Rather they grabbed each of the Bulldawgs in front of them and lifted them in the air over their heads. Above, offensive lineman Gunner Rapone lifts an obviously thrilled Nathaniel Heusinger.

When I left the County Courthouse this afternoon, I spotted a family fishing below the falls of the Tonawanda Creek. Above, Zachary Albright, 11, of Albion, gets ready to recast his lure into the creek.

If you've noticed some fire hydrants bagged with "not in service" messages in the city, Fire Chief Jim Maxwell said it's not something local residents need to be overly concerned about.

"Hydrants are spaced not to exceed a maximum of 500 feet," Maxwell said. "This allows for a fire hydrant to be readily accessible in either direction in the event of an emergency."

Currently, of the 746 hydrants in the city, seven are currently out of service.

Maxwell explained that hydrants are mechanical devices, which means they are subject to breakdowns.

Firefighters regularly test hydrants to ensure they are working properly. If they're not working, the bags being used help firefighters quickly identify an out-of-service hydrant during an emergency so they can quickly locate another one to use.

Of the seven hydrants out of service, one has been out of service since 2011, one since 2012, three since 2013, and two were taken out of service this year.

Out-of-service hydrants need to be replaced with new equipment. Each hydrant costs $2,200.

City workers, from the Bureau of Water and Wastewater, do the replacement work on a time-available basis.

The hydrants could be replaced more quickly if a contractor was hired, Maxwell said, but that drives the cost up to $7,500 per hydrant.

Waiting for available time for city workers to do the work will save taxpayers about $37,100 to replace the current out-of-service hydrants, Maxwell said.

A Batavia police officer testified today that there was an extended effort to locate Dashawn Butler after a warrant was issued for his arrest in October 2013.

Butler's defense attorney asked questions and got answers that could suggest the police didn't do all they could.

Today's hearing was on a motion by attorney Tom Burns to have the felony charges against his client thrown out on "speedy trial" grounds.

Every defendant has a Constitutional right to a speedy trial. The clock starts ticking if the police are doing all in their power to locate the suspect. If they are making every effort, then the clock for a speedy trial starts at the time of arrest, rather than when the warrant was issued.

The warrant for Butler was issued in October, but he wasn't located and arrested until June.

Butler is charged with criminal use of a firearm, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and attempted assault, 1st, also a Class C violent felony.  He's also accused of firing a weapon at another person Sept. 27 on State Street.

Sgt. Dan Coffey said that after the warrant was issued, police officers checked at least six possible addresses for Butler and looking for Butler was a frequent topic of shift-change meetings.

On cross-examination, Coffey said he had never personally been to the address where Butler was eventually located, though he said BPD had that address under observation for some time. He said he had not contacted State Police to see if troopers had any idea about Butler's whereabouts, and he did not seek utility records in an attempt to track down an address for Butler. He said he did contact Social Services to see if that agency had an address for Butler, but DSS did not.  

BPD also monitored a social media account reportedly belonging to Butler.

Coffey also provided a series of e-mail exchanges as possible evidence of BPD's efforts to locate Butler.

Burns objected to introducing the e-mails as evidence under the hearsay rules.  

Friedman argued that in a hearing such as this, the hearsay rules didn't apply, but even if they did, the e-mails weren't hearsay because they weren't being used as proof of the crimes charged.

Burns cited two prior rulings that found such e-mails were hearsay and that the prosecution has an obligation to call as witnesses the other police officers involved in the exchange.

Judge Robert C. Noonan said he has never read those cases before, so he called for an adjournment to read the cases and consider Burns' motion.

Whether the hearing will continue at a later date will depend on how Noonan rules on the motion.

Butler remains free on bail. There is no trial date set yet.